


dividing lines

by anoneesan, Laifis



Series: use your words [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Friendship/Love, Light Angst, M/M, Pining, Slice of Life, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 17:42:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13439904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anoneesan/pseuds/anoneesan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laifis/pseuds/Laifis
Summary: Hajime stood outside of the Oikawa house as per his normal routine, waiting patiently for his best friend so they could walk to school together, as they had done ever since actually starting school. He tried diligently not to think about how this wouldn't be his normal routine for much longer.Story by anoneesanArt by laifis





	dividing lines

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is a multipart fic/art collab with [laifis](http://laifis.tumblr.com). Check out her tumblr for more wonderful art.
> 
> Beta'd by [seijohstardust](http://seijohstardust.tumblr.com), who also does amazing art.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at [anoneesan](http://anoneesan.tumblr.com).
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

_Dear Iwaizumi Hajime,_

_On behalf of the Tokyo College of Sports Medicine, it is my pleasure to offer you admission to our Physical Therapy program. Upon review of your recommendations…_

_… limited number of seats available for this course. Please respond by the first of December with your decision._

_Best Regards._

Hajime was agitated as he skimmed the letter again, what had to be the fiftieth time at least, and tossed it on his desk. He had tried to bring it up before, to no avail; Tooru dodged him swiftly every time, redirected the conversation with an exasperating amount of expertise. He steadied his edgy nerves a little and tucked it under a book before he left.

He'd try again to bring it up. He had barely any time to respond already; something had to be done.

Hajime stood outside of the Oikawa house as per his normal routine, waiting patiently for his best friend so they could walk to school together, as they had done ever since actually starting school. He tried diligently not to think about how this wouldn't be _his normal routine_ for much longer.

In a couple months (not enough time) he'd no longer hear Oikawa's hurried feet on the stairs, the cheerful call of his parents telling him _’take care’_ , his friend's voice laughing and assuring his parents that he would as he put his shoes on. He sighed heavily before Oikawa was out the door.

He had to do it.

Hajime had to bring up the issue they'd been pointedly avoiding or Oikawa would never mention it until the last possible second and Hajime couldn't deal with that. He needed structure, plans, and a future to consider; he wanted Oikawa to be a part of it.

"Iwa-chan! Good morning!" Oikawa said as he practically tripped through the doorway in his rush to get out, "Sorry to keep you waiting~ I couldn't find that math workbook we have due today. You'll never guess where it was!"

Hajime allowed himself a tiny, self-satisfied smirk. "Under the couch?" He asked with confidence. He remembered them working on it late one night in the game room that used to be Oikawa's sister's room. Tooru narrowed his eyes in challenge, "Which couch...?"

"The one in the game room." Hajime replied, casting a glance at Oikawa out of the corner of his eye to find him looking a little shocked.

"So, when did you get psychic abilities and why didn't you say anything? Please tell me you were abducted, Iwa-chan. Wait, no! I want to be abducted, so you can't do that without me." Oikawa quickly decided, watching Hajime and waiting for a reply to his ridiculous speculations.

"Seriously? I'm not psychic, dumbass. We finished them in there before we marathoned that lame series about going to Neptune or whatever. Remember?" He scoffed a bit when he finally gave in with a response. Oikawa had fallen heavily asleep on him (again) at some ungodly hour of the morning and there had been scattered papers covering the floor, "It must’ve gotten kicked under there when I had to drag your ass to bed."

Oikawa gave him that cute laugh that made Hajime's nose crinkle for a slight moment every single time he heard it; even though he'd heard it since before he could really even remember his life.

"Ah, I remember now. Of course Iwa-chan's not psychic... Though it'd be cool to read minds or tell the future, right?"

_The future. Right._

Hajime mumbled something about it not sounding all that great and there was a brief silence. Tooru knew. Hajime knew that Tooru knew that he had something to say, and he was pretty sure that Tooru also knew he wasn't going to like it. He attempted to clear his suddenly, absolutely parched throat.

"Auntie said you got a recommendation from University of Tokyo..." He began slowly, though that was only a half-truth. He'd seen the recommendation letter months ago. Oikawa's mother had mentioned it in passing, a proud tone on her lips. His words did not elicit a response. Tooru looked away from him, to the ground briefly, before staring off in the direction they were walking.

"Your grades are good for it... Shit, they'd probably give you a sports scholarship even." Still no response, the broad shoulders slightly in front of him stiffening a little bit as he pushed the topic. He forced himself to continue, though he honestly felt like he was choking on his own words.

"Not to mention the team there... You'd probably be grabbed up by National Youth or Olympics or something." He added a half-hearted, breath of a chuckle, "You'd fit in with the Tokyo crowd real easy too with your shitty personality and weird 'fashion sense'." He was trying to ease off, make it more like their normal banter.

"Hmm... You don't say..." Oikawa said, though he didn't sound anywhere near interested, as if Hajime were telling him the old lady at the end of the street added a new flower in the garden along her fence, "Is my mom pressuring you to talk to me about this? It's not fair to gang up on me, Iwa-chan." There's no joking sing-song tone. Maybe he should stop here and brush it off, maybe wait another week, another month. Maybe just wait until they're graduated and fuck it all.

"No. I really think you should go there."

The reaction was not what he'd expected, bumping into Oikawa, who had abruptly stopped in front of him.

"Well, I really think you should consider what _you're_ going to be doing. Iwa-chan doesn't have the grades for University of Tokyo, right?" The tone was all wrong. Hajime could feel the heat building up behind it.

"I'm just saying.... You're... You're gonna be too big for this place... Fuck, like, you're going to be a national level player and- Oi! Are you listening to me? Wait up!" Hajime took a step after Oikawa as they continued to walk, feeling like his words had jarred something and set the world akilter.

"Oikawa-" He started again, desperate to get an answer or for his _best fucking friend_ to at least have a stupid conversation with him, but he was quickly interrupted.

"Wow, you're so talkative this morning, Iwa-chan!" Oikawa cooed as he looked over his shoulder, the underlying current of harsh annoyance and that awfully fake smile were clear as daylight to his childhood friend. Hajime had indeed fucked up.

"... Oikawa, listen-" He began again, but was cut off once more with something that wasn't fake or hidden at all.

"I don't want to hear it, Iwa-chan!" Tooru snapped back and faced forward with steely resolve. He didn't need to turn back, the glare was very apparent in his voice.

"Fine." Hajime didn't feel like talking about it right now anyway, he guessed. Maybe it'd be better to think it out even more carefully, like he hadn't rehearsed it in his head and maybe even the mirror once. Or twice. God, Oikawa could be such a brat.

By the time they were at school, Oikawa was surrounded by his fangirls and Hajime had a very fixed scowl on his face as he wracked his brain for a solution. It wasn't fair that he was _always_ thinking about his best friend. Always considering his own words when he had something they needed to talk about. Why couldn't Oikawa just hear him out?

He took his frustrations out in morning practice, running until his chest hurt (more than it already did), slamming spikes as hard as he could, and trying not to stare at a certain setter who was ignoring him very obviously.

-

Tooru was out of his classroom before Hajime could show up and hound him again at lunch. Stupid Iwa-chan, bringing up something like that at the beginning of the day. Weren't they supposed to go home together and sit in his room and laugh and then talk about it? Or just... Not...

It wasn't like Tooru didn't want to accept one of the sports scholarships he'd been offered. His parents had been absolutely up his ass for a decision, the counselor was prying, the more desperate schools were _calling_ his home and it was truly becoming too much. He just wanted to spend a day without thinking about graduation that was (oh god less than a few months away) looming over him.

"Hello? Yes, is Oikawa san there? I was having a conversation with him but we seemed to have gotten disconnected." Hanamaki said in a mockingly polite voice as they walked to the convenience store for lunch.

"Ah- I didn't _disconnect_! I was thinking..."

"Mmnh, I'm shocked."

Tooru pouted and glared, "You were talking about an anime that Mattsun just got into. And how you think it's cute when he gets excited about it, right Makki~" He teased, his pout turning into a devious grin.

"I did not say that."

"Heavily implied."

Makki shut up then, if only for a blessed moment, before he continued, "Sooo... Are you gonna tell me why _I'm_ the one escorting you to the convenience store instead of your hunky boyfriend?"

Tooru tensed a little, but quickly smiled, "Ehh? I have a hunky boyfriend? Tell me! Tell me! Who is it, Makki?" He lilted, "Is it Mattsun? So tall, expressive eyebrows, an-"

"Hey. Step off my eyebrows. I'm talking about Iwaizumi and how he was attempting to literally bust some balls all morning and now you're not having lunch with him. _And_ you took precious time out of my last few blissful months of high school with my boyhood crush so spit it out already." Makki would tease and play, but he didn't have Mattsun’s patience when it came to stuff like this.

Tooru quieted, staring at his shoes and wishing the sidewalk wasn't so damn clean so he could kick something, "Do I have to talk about it....? I mean- after all... only a few more months before-" He stopped walking, letting out a heavy sigh. It was pointless now, he figured. "I don't wanna graduate, Makki... I wanna play volleyball on the national level, of course, but..."

Hanamaki waited for Tooru to finish, though he probably already knew the end. All the third years were feeling it.

"I don't wanna leave Iwa-chan..." Tooru finished quietly, looking away as they stood there, his shoulders sagging a bit. Hanamaki nodded slowly in agreement, or possibly seldom seen empathy.

"Me neither..." Makki said finally, sighing as well. Tooru actually genuinely laughed, earning himself a little glare.

"Mmnh? Makki will miss Iwa-chan too?" Tooru asked teasingly, feeling a little better that his friend had agreed with him. Makki didn't hit him (like Iwa-chan would), but he laughed with a scoff and rolled his eyes hard enough to take his head on a little spin as well.

"You know what I meant."

-

Hajime wasn't as pissed off as he looked when he showed up in Oikawa's classroom and Matsukawa was sitting there with Hanamaki and Oikawa's stuff. He mostly couldn't believe that Oikawa made Matsukawa stay behind, even though the man in question didn't seem to care, drinking some brightly colored coffee drink that Hanamaki had to have purchased.

Matsukawa looked up at the sound of a few people muttering apologies to Hajime and hurrying to get the hell out of his way. "Yooo... Iwaizumi, what's good?" He called out, giving him a hazy smile and lifting a hand in greeting.

"Mmnh. Yeah..." Hajime muttered, distracted as he glared at a dumb UFO keychain on Oikawa's bag. He'd given it to him a while back and now he was just annoyed to look at it. He sat down in the chair next to Matsukawa and crossed his arms, finding his appetite lost, but begrudgingly picking through the bento his mom had made.

They sat in silence for a while, which wasn't at all weird or uncomfortable, until Matsukawa's phone buzzed, "You want something from the store?" He asked, looking over at his vice-captain.

"Not... Really..." Hajime grit out, grinding his teeth in annoyance, since Tooru had his own bento right fucking there and was so very obviously avoiding him.

"I'll say it's for me and tell Takahiro to make Oikawa pay for it." Matsukawa offered in return, a small consolation.

"In that case, I want two black coffees and three of those energy bars Oikawa hates." He grumbled in response, eating all the things in his bento that he knew Tooru hated before leaving it on Oikawa's desk and opening his bento too to see what auntie had made. He took one of Oikawa's pieces of katsu for himself, but nothing more.

"Not hungry, then?" Matsukawa asked, though it honestly sounded more like a statement. Hajime shook his head and Matsukawa turned back to his phone.

"What're you doing after graduation?" Hajime suddenly asked, making Matsukawa’s thick eyebrow peak up a bit. He _seemed_ thoughtful; although, his rather quiet and neutral disposition did generally give the impression that he was thinking. The only person that could really get Matsukawa on a roll was Hanamaki.

"I was thinking of college around here probably... I don't feel like moving all my shit so far, y'know? Seems like a pain..." Matsukawa mused, tilting his head back and closing his eyes, "I'm still working on convincing Takahiro to move in with me for college. But I think he's coming around to my inevitable charm."

Hajime looked almost offended, "You've talked with him about _moving in together_?" Their friends were making plans and Oikawa, with his stupid avoidance techniques, was pretending they were still fucking second years or some stupid shit. "Tell Oikawa to eat his fucking lunch before he stuffs his face with milkbread for me." He said as he stood up, jamming his fists into his pockets.

"What about you?" The question was so strange to hear and Hajime must have looked confused, because Matsukawa clarified, "After high school?"

Hajime thought for a good moment, his features a little slack as he stared down at Matsukawa, who was now rocking idly on the two back legs of his chair. Oikawa would have teased him; in fact he could hear him in his head, ' _yeah, Iwa-chan! What are you doing after graduation? Probably open an izakaya and sell his beloved agedashi tofu. You won't make any money if you eat it all~_ '.

"You still with me, Iwaizumi?" Matsukawa finally asked, snapping Hajime out of his daze. Fuck, thinking about that dumbass _again, as always_. Un-fucking-fair.

"Yeah... I uh... I dunno yet, I guess..." He admitted, a little embarrassed, "Maybe sports medicine... Or physical therapy if I can't make it into the course..." He mumbled a bit but Matsukawa nodded in this ridiculously sage way, as if he'd expected that answer.

"Y'know, Oikawa's not the only one around who can do the shit he sets his mind to."

Hajime decided his friends were way too perceptive. "Yeah, I-" he couldn't contain the huff of annoyance, sounding firmer when he finished, "Yeah. I know." He turned towards the door, "See you at practice."

"Later, Iwaizumi." Matsukawa called after him, waving lazily before returning his attention to his phone.

-

Evening practice found Hajime with much less energy than morning practice, making him regret not eating his food, but only just a bit since Oikawa's fake grin made his stomach ache worse than hunger pangs.

He relished in running laps while he could since he was dreading spiking practice; he wondered if, by some miracle, Yahaba would be setting for him just for today so he didn't have to stare directly at Oikawa.

Unfortunately, he was not with the spikers that were hitting Yahaba’s tosses. To make matters worse, he'd thought about not staring at Oikawa so long that he'd forgotten that that wasn't what he was _supposed_ to do when he came up for a spike, putting far too little energy into his jump as he watched Oikawa's expression just a moment too long.

Tooru looked tired. Hajime barely spiked over the net, cursing under his breath as he glared at the ball as if it had personally insulted him.

"Iwa-chan, sor-"

"Sorry! I was too slow on the jump. I'll get the next one." He cut Oikawa off quickly, running back to the line and getting the side-eye from Hanamaki.

"You should eat your lunch. It's really sad to see the school champ spiking like that." Hanamaki commented, "If you're gonna show up to optional practice, at least try for the juniors. You want one of those gross energy bars you made Oikawa buy? He was bitching forever when he realized that it was you who asked for that nasty shit. Though Issei liked the coffee." He shrugged a little, but his concern was easily understood by his close friend. Hanamaki had spoken with Oikawa; that was glaringly apparent.

"Not really... Besides, I'm not gonna stop practice to eat." Hajime said, crossing his arms as they waited their turn. Hanamaki shook his head in annoyance.

"Both of you are too much... Seriously, like..." He glanced over at Oikawa as if he was breaking some sort of code, "Just get it together, okay? For yourself. Not just Oikawa,” he said with refreshing sincerity, running up to spike.

Hajime watched and, when he ran up for the ball, he didn't look at Oikawa. He smacked the ball down in a hard cross.

The rest of practice seemed to go by really quickly for Hajime, finding himself in the locker room by muscle memory. He was tugging off his sweaty shirt and didn't even notice that Kindaichi was asking him a question until Matsukawa nudged him in the side.

"Hu-! Oh... Sorry, what was that again, Kindaichi?" He asked, turning to face him. Kindaichi apologized politely and repeated the question about how to position his hand for such a sharp cross spike and Hajime put in a little effort (as Hanamaki would put it) to show him the movement of the wrist necessary.

"Just be careful of your shoulder. Make sure you're using your arms and not your joints when you hit it." He finished, about to ask if that was a good explanation when he heard Oikawa beside him, "Iwa-chan has such strong arms, he makes cross spikes look easy." His tone was playful and Hajime was half convinced that it was just another Oikawa hallucination since he'd been hearing him all day long in his head.

"Mnh... Thanks..." He muttered, turning back to his locker to continue changing, not even considering how strange that was of him. He couldn't find the easy banter that they had because his thoughts were so preoccupied with wondering what was going to happen when Tooru finally _did_ talk to him.

_What if Tooru didn't want to go to college together and that's why he wouldn't talk to him about it?_

That kind of made sense; and, even if part of Hajime screamed that there was no way that was true, the tiny voice at the back of his mind still whispered ' _maybe_ '. He was pretty much completely spaced out as he walked home with Oikawa, following enough of the conversation to nod and grunt a response when it was required.

He stopped walking at Oikawa's house, finally glancing over at Oikawa who was rambling on about something someone in some class said, and just listened to the sound of his voice. How much longer would he get this privilege?

"Iwa-chan... We can talk about it... Just..." Hajime's attention suddenly zeroed into Oikawa's actual words, "Can it wait until the weekend...? ... Please...?" His voice was so small, like Hajime would be mad. Hajime wondered if he should be mad or if he would be when Oikawa told him that they'd be parting ways after high school.

"Yeah, that's fine." He said, figuring he'd enjoy what time he had left with Oikawa, "Do you want to stay over on Friday?" He had asked before he could think about it, but he didn't regret it since it made Oikawa smile the first real one since their argument that morning.

"Of course!" Oikawa chirped, "See you tomorrow, Iwa-chan!" He hurried inside his house before Hajime was walking again.

After a few steps in the crisp evening, Hajime let out the deep sigh that had been dwelling there like stale air in a closed room. What _did_ he want to do?

-

Tooru hated it when he upset Hajime. He knew he'd been a brat and that he could have avoided this whole situation if he'd just agreed to talk about it earlier that week; but here he was, sitting with Hajime, who seemed to be anywhere but actually having lunch with their friends.

It was true that he was generally quieter than the others, usually teasing Tooru or bantering with him, but today was a painfully different kind of quiet. It was just like when Iwa-chan was beating himself for something he couldn't have helped and it made Tooru want to scream.

But it was more infuriating that even now, when he was draped over Hajime's broad shoulders, there was no response, positive or negative, as if Tooru wasn't there. No matter what he did (he even stole his tofu) Hajime still just stared out the classroom window at something no one else could see. He felt really bad for stealing the tofu when Hajime closed up the bento mostly uneaten.

"Hey, you good?" Mattsun asked, basically speaking Tooru's mind. He eyed Hajime like a hawk for his reaction. Hajime seemed to snap out of a trance, glancing over at Matsukawa, "What? Yeah, why?" He asked, not bothering to shake Oikawa off still.

"Uh... Well, you haven't called Oikawa a ‘dumbass’ all day for one," Makki noted, getting a nod from Matsukawa. Hajime looked up at him and Tooru's eyebrows raised slightly. His breath caught a little in his chest at the listless look on Hajime’s face.

"Dumbass." Hajime said in a tone that made Tooru squirm, a little too fond and sincere. He wanted to hug him and-

"Well, I guess that'll do," Matsukawa said, making Tooru jump back, suddenly embarrassed and very aware of exactly how clingy he'd been.

Oh, how Tooru wished that had been the end of this dreadful unknown feeling.

It bled over into practice. Hajime didn't miss Tooru's tosses and was doing really well, but Tooru could feel his eyes on him at almost every moment of practice aside from when he was actually hitting a ball. He saw them on him as he gave the end of practice talk, Hajime's piercing gaze directly on him almost too much to bear.

Even when everyone was in the locker room changing, laughing, and horsing around, Hajime was pulling off his shirt and looking at it like it was something foreign, running a thumb over the Aoba Johsai printed in the top corner before stuffing it into his bag.

Tooru was torn between dreading Friday and needing it to be there as soon as possible. He hated how it seemed like Hajime wasn't present when he was _right there_ and he was touching him. Oh. He was actually touching him. Everyone was staring at him.

"I-Iwa-chan! Did you lose weight?" Tooru covered quickly, squeezing Hajime's arm a little before letting go, "If your arms get too skinny you might lose your arm wrestling champion title!” He teased, flashing him a grin before he quickly started to dress to hide his embarrassment from just randomly grabbing Iwa-chan like he'd float away.

Hajime looked at his arm where Oikawa had touched him, as if in delayed response, “Oh..?” He shrugged a little, “If anyone wants to try.” He said and it was almost normal, so close, but it clanked around Tooru's seemingly hollowed out ribcage.

No one took Hajime up on the offer.

-

How could it only be Thursday? Why wasn't it Friday? Tooru wanted to be at Hajime's, not sitting alone in his room at nearly four in the morning curled around a pillow.

He stared at his phone, his thread with ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ IWA-CHAN ♡ヾ(๑❛ ▿ ◠๑ ) seeming rather empty lately. He sighed emphatically, tapping out a short message.

‘ _hmm... im thinking about how many friends iwachan will make within the first week without me around_

He hit send before he could change his mind and was surprised when his message notification blinked on his screen. He hadn’t expected for Hajime to reply, it was well past three in the morning and Iwa-chan didn't usually stay up that late.

‘ _none. I'd be busy making sure you're still eating real food._ ’

Tooru bit his lip and squeezed the phone in his hand, the reply was too honest and exactly what he needed to hear. He wanted to talk to Hajime, borderline _needed_ to hear his voice.

‘ _what is iwachan doing up so late????_ ’

He stared hard at the read receipt, holding his breath a little as he watched the bouncing dots that signified Hajime was typing. He was again split, wanting things to be normal again but feeling like he wouldn't be able to cope if they started talking about it.

‘ _I couldn't sleep._ ’

The response hurt Tooru's heart. Iwa-chan usually never had trouble falling asleep and he shouldn't after how absolutely drained he'd looked today as he languidly tapped a pencil on some homework. He had looked so far away, with his chin resting on a fist and his eyes on Tooru occasionally, but mostly gazing into space.

‘ _can i call u_ ’

‘ _sure._ ’

Tooru felt his heart rate increase as he tapped to call Iwa-chan, though it only rang once, not giving him any time to settle his greeting.

“Hey.” Hajime's voice was thick and syrupy, doing wonders for Tooru's nerves. He rolled on the bed to look out his window.

“Iwa-chan… I… Hey…” Tooru mumbled, sighing softly. Hajime didn't seem interested in forcing him to talk and they sat in almost comfortable silence until Tooru cleared his throat.

“I can’t wait to stay over tomorrow! It’s been… a while.” Tooru finally said, too loud for the silence they’d been brewing in, “Maybe… We can make something for dinner… Auntie loves it when we cook.”

Hajime’s deep chuckle made Tooru want to cry, to run down the street and demand to be let in now and curl up against Hajime’s rumbling chest. “Sure… Whatever you want.” He said in a slightly fond, but somehow playfully long-suffering way.

It still felt wrong, their normal banter not coming easily. Instead, they discussed plans for the next day in soft, sated tones for a while. Tooru didn’t even realize he was falling asleep until Hajime said something that he didn’t quite catch, “You’re what, Iwa-chan…?” He asked softly, rolling over on his bed with a soft moan.

“I said, I’ll talk to you later…” Hajime repeated, not sounding very sleepy at all. Tooru hugged his pillow, sighing softly, making a soft noise as Hajime sounded like he was hanging up, “What is it?”

Tooru whined a sleepy sound, “Wait… Stay until I fall asleep again… Please…?” He asked, his eyelids already drooping closed a little.

“Okay.”

-

Hajime felt like death the next day. He must have looked it too, since Tooru, who looked only slightly tired, almost staggered back at the sight of him.

Oikawa clutched his chest dramatically, “Iwa-chan! What- When did you fall asleep?!” He asked, making Hajime feel guilty because Oikawa looked like he’d personally kept Hajime awake. Which, to be honest, wasn’t too far from the truth, but still, Hajime wasn’t trying to guilt trip his friend when he was the idiot who stayed up all night listening to Tooru _breathe_.

Something had to be wrong with him.

“I don’t remember. Let’s go, we’re running late as is.” Hajime grumbled, running on coffee and pure willpower. He was quiet as they walked, trying to stifle his yawning as much as possible, only letting a few out.

Practice was hell. Running was like getting stabbed in the lungs repeatedly and spiking was only slightly better. Hajime couldn’t be anything but grateful when Tooru's tosses were low and he didn’t have to jump too hard for them. Even the coach seemed to have some pity on him, even if he shook his head at such nonsense.

Hajime ended up almost falling asleep in class so many times that the teacher eventually asked him to stand up, which he did to his mild embarrassment since they at least let him lean on the windowsill a little bit. He couldn’t read the swimming kanji in his books, taking the first break to get some fresh air, where he, literally, ran into Oikawa.

“Ah, Iwa-chan! You’re gonna smash someone if you don’t look where you’re going!” Tooru chided, though his voice was nothing but sympathy. He handed Hajime a coffee from the vending machines, ‘ _sorry I kept you up last night_ ’ was written all over this.

“Yeah… Thanks.” Hajime took the coffee and downed it, running his hands over his face and then through his hair. It seemed to wake him up a little bit at least.

“Let’s have lunch in the clubroom.” Tooru offered, “It’s quiet and… Maybe you can get some sleep.” He said with a casual shrug, “Then you won’t be completely useless at after-school practice.”

Hajime let out a strangled noise of disappointment at the reminder, “Ah… Yeah… Fuck...” He grumbled, trying not to think about how _long_ today was going to be.

-

Tooru was meticulous when he wanted to be. He told Makki and Mattsun that he and Iwa-chan would be in the clubroom for lunch and even managed to get out of class a bit before lunch easily by saying he had to attend to some club duties.

He slid down into the corner nearest the window and let the sunlight warm his skin, fidgeting around with his bag until it was comfortably between him and the wall. He leaned against it and set aside the bento his mom had given him as well as the couple coffees and an energy bar that he’d make Hajime consume before going back to class.

He startled a little when the door opened, but quickly realized it was Hajime, “Iwa-chan! Come over here, the sun feels really nice.” He said, patting the space beside him. Hajime wordlessly complied, sinking to the floor next to him and resting his head back on the wall, squinting as he looked out the window at the clear skies.

Tooru hummed quietly as he opened his bento and offered Hajime the good parts, only a few of which were accepted before Hajime grumbled something about Oikawa eating his own damn lunch. They let the stillness linger between them. It was actually really pleasant, quiet, close, just the two of them. Tooru had opened his mouth to comment on it when he felt a gentle slump onto his shoulder, making his words die on his lips with a soft gasp. He loved it when Hajime fell asleep on him.

He looked over very slowly, careful not to disturb the miracle that was happening right now, and felt like his chest may burst with how cute Hajime looked. His mouth was open just a bit and the hard lines of his face completely softened in his sleep, leaving him looking like a sun-kissed angel basking in the rays. Tooru barely managed to keep in the noise that threatened to disturb the peace, blushing lightly and looking away to his bento as he carefully continued to eat.

After he did finish eating, he indulged himself, looking again at Hajime asleep against his shoulder. He felt so much more at ease like this as if they hadn’t been tense nearly the entire week. He wondered anxiously how long it would be until the lunch bell rang and disrupted them.

Tooru slowly began to relax and rested his head against Hajime’s and allowed himself to think about tonight; about going to the grocery store to grab a few items and going to Hajime’s house. He’d let Hajime take a bath first (but he’d tell him it was because he was stinky) and sleep while he prepped dinner. He thought he might be able to skip the trip to the grocery store if he texted Hajime’s mom before she left work.

Tooru loved this so much. He never wanted it to end. He refused to consider what they’d talk about tonight. He wouldn’t bring it up until Hajime made him because he was _terrified_ of losing this feeling. He bit his lip a little and scrunched his eyes closed, counting Hajime’s breaths mentally until he’d calmed himself down from the intense feeling of dread his mind was dragging up into his stomach.

He wanted to kick himself when he felt Hajime moving, muttering something incoherent under his breath, and Tooru was about to pretend to be asleep, but Iwa-chan just adjusted himself a little closer to Tooru and rest his forehead against the crook of his neck. His mouth opened in a brief yawn before he continued to doze, close enough to melt Tooru's heart and make his troubles seem much further away than they were.

-

Hajime woke up to the sensation of someone kicking his feet. He opened bleary eyes with a scowl already starting to set in, he was comfortable, damn it and-

He was slumped over Oikawa like the setter was his own personal mattress. He quickly blushed and went to move, but Tooru’s arm tightened with a whine, trapping him to his chest, “Nnh..!! Iwa-chan…. It’s still early...”

“Actually, everyone will be in here to change soon. Y’know. For practice.” The kicker of Hajime’s shoes was Hanamaki, standing at their feet with Matsukawa, “Though from the half-eaten bento in Oikawa’s lap, I’m guessing ‘Operation Nap Time’ was an astounding success.”

“A double success even,” Matsukawa noted the groggy Tooru who was still clinging to Hajime and trying to figure out what happened.

“Triple if you count this.” Hanamaki grinned devilishly, turning his phone to show Hajime a picture of him sleeping on Oikawa, both of them blissfully pressed together.

“You _fuckin_ -” Hajime was already about to jump after Hanamaki who was holding his phone high in the air and laughing, passing it off to Matsukawa who tapped away on the screen.

“Mattsun! Send it to me!” Oikawa called, now clearly awake and defiantly holding Hajime down.

“Sure thing, Captain.” Matsukawa chuckled as he sent the picture into their group chat, making Hajime groan before he removed Oikawa from himself bodily. Oikawa let Hajime go and squealed with delight at the picture.

Hajime got off the floor and rolled some stiffness out of his shoulders, thoroughly embarrassed that he’d skipped class and fallen asleep all over Tooru. He looked at his phone, seeing the picture again and bristling a little as his neck and ears got hot. “You guys are assholes.”

He grumbled a bit more, shoving his phone into his bag before giving Oikawa a hand up. The other team members started showing up afterward, but their friends left it at giving them side eye with knowing smirks.

Hajime had plenty of energy for practice after that power nap, helping show Kindaichi how to cross spike and Kyoutani how to have a little more control over direction. He occasionally glanced at Oikawa, talking in depth with Yahaba, looking focused as they spoke. It made his chest swell with pride in his friend.

They were leaving this team in capable hands and Oikawa was spending to the very last minute making sure his team was prepared to win next year. All the third years were giving advice and showing techniques and helping polish up anything their juniors were asking of them. Oikawa looked like a captain just as much now as ever and would continue to play volleyball, at least Hajime was certain of that.

Towards the end of practice, Hanamaki came over beside Hajime while they were blocking for some practice combos, “So… Did you get it together then?” He asked and Hajime sighed though it felt much less heavy now.

“Yeah, Yeah… What else would keep me up all fucking night...” He grit out from behind a slight scowl. Hanamaki jumped in sync with him as Kyoutani came in for a kill, whistling a little as he executed a nice cross spike. Hajime nodded at him in approval, which seemed to be the utmost praise as Kyoutani stood up straighter and nodded back, running off to the back of the line.

“Oh my god, please end the suspense. Some people have bets to win, Iwaizumi.” Hanamaki teased a little, “What are you going to do?”

Hajime grinned a little, “You know I’d literally never hear the end of it if I told anyone before Oikawa, right?” He asked, wiping his forehead with his shirt hem, “I’m gonna talk to him this weekend. So just deal with it.”

-

Since they’d fallen asleep, Tooru never had a chance to text Hajime’s mom; but Hajime seemed awake enough to go to the store and didn’t even stagger when Oikawa draped his arm over his shoulders. He felt they had both really needed that nap.

They went to the store and Hajime carried the basket, occasionally rejecting an item Oikawa tried to sneak in. All in all, Tooru considered it a success since he made out with _two_ milkbreads. They were soon at Hajime’s house and were being greeted by his mother who smiled at the boys coming in the door.

“We’re home!” Tooru called out over Hajime’s greeting, kicking off his shoes quickly and nudging Hajime to hurry him up as he grabbed some more bags from him, “Hi Auntie!”

“Tooru!” Hajime’s mother appeared in the doorway to the living room, stepping out of the way for Tooru to set bags on the counter before giving her a tight hug, lifting her just a bit off the ground, “Ah! You’re even taller than last week!” She teased, smiling at him fondly and cupping his cheek, “Still such a sweet boy.”

She turned to her son, who was setting down groceries as well, “And here’s my sweet boy...” She teased Hajime, coming over to hug her son, who leaned down to kiss her cheek, glaring a little at Tooru who was beaming at the adorable sight.

She took over some of the preparations immediately, despite both boys insistence that they wanted to cook. “You can cook! Just go get cleaned up first.” She insisted, “Besides, you’ll be doing the dishes. I have a meeting early in the morning tomorrow.”

Once they were cleaned up a bit, they returned to soft, upbeat music playing through the kitchen, Hajime’s mother singing along. Tooru wasted no time in joining her, providing back up vocals.

Hajime laughed at them a little as he walked into the kitchen, taking up some of the prep work as Tooru started to lead auntie out of the kitchen in a clumsy waltz. It was much like this in the Oikawa household, but something about Hajime and his mother felt just like home but cozier. Instead of a house with both his parents, usually his sister and nephew, and often other relatives of varying degrees of closeness, it was just the three of them.

Tooru felt warm and giddy, soon enough going to bother Hajime, who humored him when he started to take over, even if he knew it’d be short lived. They took turns completing various tasks for dinner and talking about their lives, arguing playfully over seasonings.

“I swear to god, Oikawa…. If you try to shake the pan like a chef and spill it everywhere….” Hajime said, catching Tooru's elbow and stepping in to finish up, “Go set the table, dumbass...” Tooru stuck his tongue out at Hajime a little, but did as he said, and soon they were having dinner together.

Hajime’s mom was so much more lenient, laughing a bit as Tooru ate off Hajime’s plate, where Tooru's mother would have scolded him for being rude and Hajime would have been smug. Now Hajime looked amused, but still played along, stealing food back off Tooru’s plate so that it was almost an all out war, only ending when Hajime’s mother begged for a truce with tears in the corner of her eyes from laughing.

“You may as well switch plates.” She commented, standing up and reaching for her plate before Tooru shooed her hand away affectionately.

“Auntie, You should relax! Hajime and I can clear the table.” Tooru said, not even noticing his phrasing until Hajime looked at him in surprise, but not a hint of anger.

“Thank you, Tooru. You boys make sure to wash up and rest well. I’ll be back late tomorrow night.” She said before bidding them goodnight.

“Hajime?” Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow and Tooru glared at him and his teasing tone, poking him in the arm.

“I don’t call you Iwa-chan when I’m talking to auntie! That’d be so rude when she put so much thought into your name.” He defended himself, starting to pick up the dishes. Hajime didn’t seem to have a retort for that, following Tooru to the kitchen and washing the dishes, handing them off to Tooru to dry and put away.

Tooru bumped Hajime's hips a couple times and let the smooth music from the speakers, still playing auntie’s playlist, hum off his lips, singing a few words he particularly liked here and there. Hajime just continued washing dishes and handing them over but made no effort to stop Tooru, only chuckling a bit when Oikawa hit a wrong note and silenced with a pout.

“You’re such a dork…” He said, smiling over at Tooru and making him scoff.

“You’re awful!” Tooru said, leaning against the counter. “Even so, I’ll still let you have the bath before me. I’m so kind while you’re so rude.”

“Is that so… Well, thanks.” Hajime replied, laughing a little louder when Tooru pouted, apparently still annoyed at being called a dork, “Dumbass… I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” He said, starting towards the bath.

He left Tooru to contemplate what that meant exactly as he waited for his turn in the bath.

-

Hajime sat in his boxers and a t-shirt as he looked through the sports news on his phone, waiting for Oikawa to get out of the tub. He was sitting on his bed, his legs splayed in front of him, kind of getting into reading about one of the teams he liked when Tooru came into his room, also clad in a shirt and boxers.

“Iwa-chan, I’m playing some music.” Tooru said, getting a grunt in response, and turned on the speaker on the desk. He flopped down on the bed beside Hajime, turning on his bluetooth and taking a moment to find some music, trying a few things until he settled on a very calming, rhythmic genre with soft vocals.

Hajime may not generally pick out anything remotely like this, but when Tooru picked these things out, they seemed pretty right. It made his shoulders relax, some of the fatigue from staying up all night coming back as he continued scrolling down to read the rest of the stats.

Tooru fidgeted on his phone for a few minutes beside him, checking social media and probably sending a few texts, letting the music relax him as well. Hajime was enjoying the presence next to him, so he didn’t really notice when Tooru leaned in closer.

He didn’t even really consider anything about it when he felt Tooru slump against him, thinking it was kind of nice and warm, even if the extra weight was slightly uncomfortable in this position. He knew Tooru though, rolling his shoulder back as Oikawa slowly slid the rest of the way down with a sigh.

It had certainly been a heavy sigh. ‘ _We still haven’t talked about it_ ’ briefly crossed his mind before Tooru’s head was in his lap, his cheek warm against Hajime’s thigh. There was a pause, like Tooru might say something before Hajime’s free hand slid down to curl into Oikawa’s hair.

Oikawa froze for a moment, then instantly relaxed into the gentle touch. Hajime smiled to himself, confident that Tooru wouldn’t see him, and gently carded his hand through hair that was only slightly damp. Since he was so sure he wouldn’t be seen, he let his eyes close, just enjoying having Tooru in his lap with the facade of still looking at his phone.

He was happily thinking about Tooru and the way it made everything feel better when he was pressed against him like this. They sat in comfortable silence, his fingers having started to move of their own, playing idly with Tooru’s soft, brown hair. He glanced down and felt his heart clench a little at the way Tooru was staring ahead with this look that he couldn’t quite place. He looked lost between pure bliss and on the verge of tears.

Hajime ran his hand down Tooru’s shoulder and back up to his hair, scratching his scalp idly, “You okay?” He asked, setting his phone down on the nightstand. Tooru turned to look up at him.

“Mnh, yeah. There’s no place I’d rather be.” He said, smiling a little and chuckling, “Though I wish you’d stop reading sports news.”

“I haven’t been actually reading it.” Hajime confessed, twirling a lock of Oikawa’s hair casually around a finger; his hair was nearly dry now, “What do you need my attention for anyway?” He asked, rolling his eyes. Tooru looked away, but Hajime caught the light pink on his cheeks.

“Nothing in particular, I guess...” Tooru let his eyes close, enjoying Hajime’s touch. Time seemed to pass slowly between them. All Hajime could think about was that he wanted to do this forever. Maybe there was something wrong with him for not wanting to let Oikawa go, not wanting to move forward in his life without him; at least he was resolute that whatever Oikawa wanted to do, he wouldn’t hold it against him.

He looked down at Tooru fondly when he felt that the boy in his lap was starting to drift to sleep, “Get under the covers, Trashykawa...” He said, pulling Tooru up a little and pushing down the covers.

Once in bed and under the covers, Tooru wrapped his arms around Hajime’s chest and held onto him tightly. This wasn’t very common and when it did happen, Hajime wouldn’t allow himself to break the spell, wrapping his arms around Tooru’s broad shoulders. He remembered when they were much smaller.

Tooru pressed his face into Hajime’s shirt, steadying his breathing as Hajime’s hand started to rub circles in his back. He’d be a fool to think that the goings-on of the week hadn’t worn Tooru down too. They both needed this closeness, needed to pull themselves back together like two magnets.

Hajime could let it slip for a little longer, let the future be put off for one more night. Besides, he was _happy_ ; he was warm, comfortable and safe in Oikawa's arms. He really couldn’t ask for anything else.

It was easy to let his breathing fall in sync with Tooru's and Hajime felt drowsiness wash over him as they sort of melded together. He let his eyes slip shut and the last thought he could distinctly remember was ‘ _why does this idiot smell so damn good?_ ’

-

Tooru woke the next morning tangled up with Hajime from their shoulders to their feet. He basked in how nice it felt, waking up to Hajime’s heat twined around him, a deep sense of security cradling his sleep-fogged brain. He only felt the blush creeping over him when he looked up at Hajime’s sleeping face.

‘ _God, he’s gorgeous._ ’

That thought woke him like a splash of water, his face and ears hot with embarrassment. He must have shifted around, because Hajime stirred a little, letting out a sleepy noise and stretching in Tooru’s arms. He didn’t really want to let him go, but he figured he probably should, slowly dragging his arms from his friend, his face still hot.

“Did I wake you, Iwa-chan…?” Tooru asked softly, nibbling his lip absent-mindedly. Hajime yawned and blinked at him, not looking fully awake yet.

“Mmnh… Yeah… Shittykawa...” Hajime muttered, running his fingers over Oikawa’s shoulder blades as he stretched and tried to detangle them. Tooru missed the closeness immediately, letting out a sigh and rolling to his back. There was no way he could live without it.

His expression must have given him away, since Hajime lifted his head and rest his chin on his palm, “Something on your mind?” Hajime seemed so collected as he watched Tooru look away. It wasn’t fair that Iwa-chan was so cool while Tooru was panicking a little bit.

“N-Not really… You?” Tooru knew how dumb and utterly unconvincing he sounded but what was he supposed to say? Was he just going to ask Hajime to give up his dreams and follow him wherever he went? Hell no.

“Yeah, actually.” Hajime said, making Tooru tense visibly. He wasn’t ready for this, but he didn’t really think he would ever be ready to let Hajime go. Hajime sighed deeply.

“Tooru…. I-”

“I know! I know, Iwa-chan...” Tooru said, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and looking at the wall, pointedly away from Hajime, “We’re supposed to graduate and go to different schools and grow up, right?” He chewed his lip angrily, missing the way Hajime eyed him, measuring his anxiety and words.

“You want me to go to Tokyo and be successful and independent and- and- I just don’t… I don’t know if- If I want to… If I can...” He could feel his eyes stinging at the thought of losing his closest friend, “I can’t imagine doing any of it without you, Iwa-chan…”

There was a silence between them then, Tooru turning towards the wall as he squeezed his eyes shut. This was a dumb thing to cry about when Hajime was probably excited to start his life as an adult. He gasped a little when he was tugged back and presented with a slightly annoyed face.

“God, you’re so dense...” Hajime started, averting his eyes a little, “I’m going to a sports medicine college in Tokyo.” He looked away completely now, “That’s why I wanted you to go to Tokyo. So we could… I mean, we wouldn’t be in the same school but… I was thinking you might want to split rent or something...” He’s cheeks were coloring a little, “So stop saying ‘you know’… If you had just listened to me-”

“Eh? Wait what?” Tooru was still trying to catch up, not believing that Hajime wanted him to come with him to Tokyo. The thought had never crossed his mind that they had wanted the same thing. He watched as Hajime rolled out of the bed and walked to his desk.

“Look, idiot.” Hajime thrust a piece of paper in Tooru’s face, which Tooru quickly scanned.

“A-Ah! December first is next week!” Tooru spluttered, taking the paper from Hajime and reading it carefully, “I- I didn’t… _You want_ to go to Tokyo?! Y-You want... _me_ to go with you?” His watery eyes made him blink, “Really?”

Hajime rolled his eyes, but was obviously embarrassed, “Of course. I dunno what being separate has to do with ‘growing up’... I mean, you can learn to be independent without throwing yourself into a new environment alone. You’d be dead in a month…”

“I-Iwa-chan… Are you my mom…?” Tooru asked, his tone was nothing but playful with a misty undertone of excitement.

“Hah? Do you _want_ me to hit you? I’m being serious here.” Hajime leaned forward to bump his forehead against Tooru’s for a brief moment, like a gentle headbutt, “When are you going to remember that you’re not in it alone…?”

Tooru was really flushed now, looking embarrassed and like Hajime had just cleared his mind of any doubts he’d been having, “Then I’m going to the University of Tokyo.” He said, sounding and _feeling_ resolute in his answer. He wiped his eyes quickly.

Hajime nodded, smiling a tiny bit as he grabbed his phone, “I’m going to accept.”

-

Hajime was so relieved that they’d finally talked it out and decided what would be done after graduation. They’d left to go to Tooru’s house so he could call administrations and accept their offer. Auntie cooed about how happy she was that Hajime would be there to ‘ _make sure Tooru minds his manners_ ’ and praising him for getting Tooru to finally pick a place at all. He waved it off, hugging her; his mind was a million miles away.

Why did he want to be around Oikawa so badly? Maybe his priority of his friend was more than a normal friendship, he couldn’t really tell from an inside point of view. All he knew is his chest and head felt light and easy for the first time all week; maybe a bit too light considering how giddy he felt, the hint of a smile barely gracing his lips.

Since they’d already decided to spend at least the day together, they wandered around town causally, Tooru humming happily and bouncing a little with his steps. It took everything in Hajime not to beam at Tooru as the excitable boy dragged him by the wrist over to a ramen shop they frequented.

“Auntie’s gonna be mad if you spoil your dinner.” Hajime chided, watching Tooru shake his head and continue to pull him along.

“No! I told mom that I’m spending all weekend with Iwa-chan. You have to provide me with sustenance.” Oikawa slid his fingers down Hajime’s wrist and into his hand as he spoke, looking over his shoulder with a playful smile.

Hajime may have normally pulled away but he didn't for some reason; even though he was kind of embarrassed at how pleased he was to be holding Tooru’s hand.

They ordered and sat around talking and laughing, discussing the necessities for their future Tokyo apartment. Oikawa wanted closet space and a full bath, while Hajime simply wanted a decent sized balcony. Both lamented the cost, even if their parents would supplement them until they were established.

“‘I’ll let you know as soon as I tell Oikawa.’”

Both turned to see Hanamaki and Matsukawa, the pair huddled together a little against the cold in the doorway.

“At least they’re not fighting anymore.” Matsukawa commented, grinning a little, “Or was it pining? I’m not so sure...”

“Pining? Isn’t that supposed to be less obvious?” Hanamaki grinned, sitting down at the table.

“You’d be the expert...” Oikawa muttered under his breath, earning himself a haughty glare from Hanamaki.

“What’re you guys doing out anyways. Weren’t you saying you were going to lock Iwaizumi in the house or something like that?” Matsukawa asked, placing his order while Hanamaki mentioned getting some sodas.

“Like hell I’d stay locked in a house with this idiot.” Hajime grumbled, crossing his arms and scoffing, his eyes rolling as Tooru leaned in against him.

“Ehh? But didn’t Iwa-chan ask me to move in with him? Isn’t that basically the same thing?” Tooru teased, pulling on Hajime’s arm. Their friends looked interested.

“So you finally stopped pouting and told poor Iwaizumi that he’s stuck with you for life then?” Hanamaki asked, only half joking since he was a rather observant individual.

Hajime had his mouth half open in a retort about how he would shake Oikawa off at some point before he stopped mid-sentence. He actually couldn’t really imagine not being with Tooru. He must have had a frightful glare on as he tried to imagine either of them marrying a faceless woman and just couldn’t picture it.

“You’re gonna get a headache if you clench your teeth that hard.” Matsukawa said with a hint of amusement. Tooru scoffed and tugged Hajime’s arms down.

“Don’t look so mad about it!” Oikawa huffed, making Hajime shake his head.

“I’m not _mad_ about it. I was just thinking about how I’ll be washing your dishes for an undefined amount of time, since you never clean up after yourself.” Hajime covered, pulling out his phone to check it when it buzzed in his pocket. It was a message from his mom that she’d be staying out that night for a business meeting early in the morning.

“Aww, I wanted auntie to watch movies with us...” Tooru said as he read over Hajime’s shoulder, earning him an elbow in the ribs.

“Don’t read people’s texts over their shoulder.” Hajime glared a little, pocketing his phone again and narrowing his eyes as Tooru rubbed where he’d been elbowed, a pout on his lips.

“Eh, Iwaizumi-san is leaving you boys alone? I think you need supervision.” Hanamaki said, sipping at the soda the waitress had brought him. Matsukawa nodded with a lazy grin.

“Who knows what they’d do if left unattended.”

“I know what they’d do.”

“Bad things?”

“Maybe not necessarily _bad_...” Hanamaki’s grin turned devious and Oikawa shoved him.

“We do _not_ need supervision, thank you very much. Just ask Iwa-chan.” Everyone turned to look at Hajime expectantly.

“If you’re asking to come over, fine. But I highly doubt we’d get in less trouble with all of us together. So don’t even pretend like it’s for our sakes.”

“Score.” Hanamaki said in unison with Matsukawa, sharing a high five, “So, let's get some booze, yeah?”

“Hell yeah. Beauty and brains.” Matsukawa complimented his friend.

“How'd you ever get so lucky?”

-

Thanks to Oikawa’s sister, chuhai and beer were easily obtained. Hanamaki and Matsukawa had their own sources, Hanamaki bringing a couple bottles of sake while Matsukawa somehow managed to get his hands on an intimidatingly large bottle of whisky.

“Fuck, how drunk are you trying to get, Matsukawa…?” Hajime asked skeptically, eyeing the bottle.

“You see, the taller you are the higher your alcohol tolerance.” He joked, chuckling at Hajime’s glare.

The boys all shed their coats and shoes and headed to the living room, setting out their booze and snacks on the table, Oikawa and Hanamaki arguing over some trivial division of goods until Matsukawa returned with four sake cups.

“I take it your mom isn’t into shots.” He said, setting them down and pouring them all a shot. They’d drank before, but never started off with shots. Hajime didn’t think it was a good idea, said something to that effect and took his shot with everyone else.

It was not a good idea at all.

They’d finished the liquor first with a drinking game that quickly lost all coherency. By the time they were done watching a movie that no one remembered putting on, the living room was as wrecked as they were. Beer and chuhai cans were scattered, Hanamaki was drinking sake straight from the bottle, Matsukawa was chugging beers with Hajime and Tooru was alternating between cheering everyone on and singing Arashi songs horrendously off key.

Hajime let out a loud burp after he finished his beer, shaking his head slowly, “Fuck… I’m really drunk.” He stated, getting a bark of laughter from Hanamaki.

“That’s what sober people say.” Hanamaki stated, swaying a little and gesturing with his sake bottle, “I’m not drunk.” Matsukawa laughed at him, nudging him in the side with his toes and slumping against the table in giggles as Hanamaki fell to the floor.

“You’re drunk.” Matsukawa informed him.

Oikawa staggered to his feet, Hajime halfway reaching out to help despite him muttering, “I got it, I got it, Iwa-chan...” under his breath.

He stood and struck what was supposed to be an inspiring pose maybe and cleared his throat, “We’re all drunk.” He went to grab his drink from the floor but ended up on his ass instead, the other three bursting into laughter.

“Ay, Captain, I think you’re right.” Matsukawa encouraged him, though he was still laughing.

“Of course I am!” Oikawa pouted before his features lit up, “Oh, oh, let’s play a game!” He said, flopping back so his head was in Hajime’s lap, “Iwa-chan, Fuck, Marry, Kill. Me, Makki, and Mattsun.”

“Unfair!” Hanamaki called with a hand cupped to his mouth, bringing himself closer to the group, but looking at Hajime expectantly.

“Fuck Hanamaki, Marry Matsukawa, and Kill you.” Hajime deadpanned, only able to maintain long enough to see Oikawa’s scandalized face before he burst out laughing along with the other two.

“How mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa whined, pushing himself off him quickly.

“You can’t just fuck me and marry my man, Iwaizumi.” Hanamaki joked, making kissy lips at Matsukawa.

“Matsukawa is the least likely to end a marriage in a fucking house fire,” Hajime commented.

Oikawa crawled over to the tallest, “How are they both fighting over you, Mattsun?” He whined, “You’d marry me, right?”

“No way. Sorry, Captain, but Iwaizumi would choke me out.” Matsukawa said, giving Oikawa a grin with a slightly sympathetic look, “I’d fuck you though.” He laughed, “And in order to do that… unfortunately, I must kill Iwaizumi.”

“You can’t even beat me in arm wrestling. You really think you can kill me?” Iwaizumi asked with a confident scoff.

“So… Then you’ll marry me?” Hanamaki asked, suddenly very much in Matsukawa’s space, draped over him and grinning lecherously. Matsukawa grinned back.

“But of course, baby.” Came his reply and Hanamaki cracked, laughing himself to the floor where he half laid on top of Oikawa.

“Hmm… who do I wanna marry...” Hanamaki asked thoughtfully, “Iwaizumi is straight up wife material...” He mused, but Oikawa threw him off his back.

“Nope! Iwa-chan’s all mine! And if you try to take him I’ll kill you and fuck Mattsun.” Oikawa said, sitting back and crossing his arms. Hanamaki laughed, straddling Oikawa’s lap and wrapping his arms around his neck.

“Fine. I’ll marry you, baby...” He wriggled his eyebrows at Oikawa who pretended to swoon a little.

Hajime shoved Hanamaki to the floor, “Okay, I’m changing mine to Kill Hanamaki.” He said, tipping back another beer because why not at this point.

“So you’d fuck me?” Oikawa asked, very uninterested in Hanamaki who was fake crying loudly on the floor. Matsukawa rubbed Hanamaki’s back with a ‘ _shh, shh, shh_ ’ as Hajime seemed to consider it carefully.

“Nah… I couldn’t just fuck you… So, I guess I’d have to Marry you and Fuck Matsukawa.” He admitted with a resolute sigh. Oikawa threw his arms around him.

“Yay~ I’d Fuck Mattsun, Marry Iwa-chan, and Kill Makki!” He said without hesitation.

“Fuck, what did I ever do to you guys… I even said I’d Marry you, Oikawa, you jackass...” Hanamaki groaned from the floor. Matsukawa pulled him up.

“There, there, they’ve been married since like grade school and Oikawa is petty. He’s probably still mad about that time in first year-”

“Nope! Shut your mouth, Mattsun!” Oikawa said suddenly, though he was still all over Hajime, who didn’t seem to mind, “Everyone promised not to speak of that again.”

The banter carried on until they started dropping off. Hanamaki fell out first, leaning against Matsukawa and passing out within minutes. Hajime shook Oikawa off to help Matsukawa get their friend on the couch. Matsukawa took the longer couch, though his feet still hung off the edge. No one could be fucked to fumble around with guest futons.

Hajime put an arm under Oikawa’s and hoisted him off the floor, “Come on...” He slurred a little, staggering them both up the stairs, which seemed like a Herculean task. He practically threw Oikawa into his bed and flopped down beside him.

“Mmnh… I’d definitely marry Iwa-chan… I love Iwa-chan...” Oikawa murmured drunkenly, his eyes fluttering shut.

Hajime was very drunk, but he was definitely coherent in at least one thought.

“I love you too, Oikawa...”

**Author's Note:**

> The Next Work in the series is the epilogue to this part. Thanks for reading!


End file.
